Christmas in Black and White
by meadow-heart
Summary: This is a touching story about the true meaning of Christmas, and just in time for the holidays!


Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of the things I write about (Pokemon, Fruits Basket, etc.), but I DO OWN my** ideas, characters, and storylines**, so please don't steal them. Thanks, and now, on with the fanfic!

Christmas In Black and White

"It's snowing! It's snowing! Wake up, guys!" Max ran down the hall to his friends' rooms. "We're 'gonna have a white Christmas!"

Ash, Misty, May, Brook, Max, Dawn, and Brock had all met at Misty's gym, in Cerulean City, for their Christmas holiday.

Now it was Christmas Eve, and Max couldn't sleep. He just _knew_ something big was going to happen, and he wasn't going to miss it! _How can those guys sleep through this?!_ "C'mon, everyone! Come see the snow!"

May stumbled out of her room, "Max, what are you doing up so early?"

"It's snowing!" he said defensively, "And this'll be my first white Christmas! I wanted everyone to see it!"

May smiled, "That's thoughtful of you, but we can see it in the morning. Okay? Now please go back to sleep."

The young boy was already yawning, "Alright. Good night, May."

"Good night, Max." And with that, brother and sister walked back to their separate rooms.

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Misty woke up to a black room. _Odd, _she thought. _I thought I left the shades open a crack last night…_ She got up to open the green blinds, to find the floor as cold as ice. She squeaked, and then jumped back to her bed.

Across the room, Brook sat up in her bed. Misty smiled as her Brown-haired friend mumbled a faint good morning. She wasn't a morning person.

Misty slipped on her Bunneary slippers, and shuffled over to wake up May and Dawn. The younger girls didn't take long to awaken, and they were soon as chatty as ever.

"Max woke me up last night. He said something about a white Christmas!"

"Wow! This'll be my first one!"

"Mine too!"

The two girls squealed with excitement. Misty had to remind them that the others were still asleep. But she had to eat her words, when Max ran into their room.

"I told you! I told you, May! It snowed last night, and now we're 'gonna have a white Christmas!"

Ash and Brock ran in next, fully dressed for cold weather. Ash was wearing a long-sleeve, black fleece, and blue jeans. His unkempt hair was under his trademark hat, and Pikachu was perched on his shoulder. Brock was wearing a green and black sweater and black jeans.

"Well, are you guys ready to open gifts?" Max's brown eyes were wide with anticipation.

Misty laughed, "Okay, just let us get dressed."

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Dawn was the last one dressed, so by the time she came out of the bathroom, Max was bouncing off the walls. "Yes! It's finally time!" He ran to the family room, where the tree stood. The star at its top shone down on the gifts below. The ornaments jangled on the branches, as Max kneeled amongst the boxes.

"Wow, wow, wow, wow! Look at them all!"

"Max, calm down," Brook smiled, "You'd think this was your first Christmas!"

Suddenly, the lights flickered out. Brock whipped out a flashlight, "Wait here. I'll go check the switch box."

Dawn ran over to the window and gasped, "I-I can't see a thing! It's all white!"

The others joined her at the pane. A sea of white greeted them, and May shivered. "Well, this is either a blizzard, or we're snowed in!"

Brock stepped back into the room, holding a candle and the flashlight. "The power is switched on, so it must be a black-out. Misty, I need you to go get all the blankets you can find. Ash and I will start a fire."

A few minutes later, the friends were sitting around a roaring fire, wrapped in blankets. Dawn and May walked in, carrying plates of sandwiches and water. The two girls handed them out, as Max glanced over at the tree.

"I've never opened gifts by firelight," Brook said, noticing Max's gesture, "It might be a neat experience."

"Yes! Can I open the first one? Please?"

"Alright, Max. Here you go. It's from Brook," Ash handed him a small, red box.

Max unwrapped the present, and shook it. Several small items rolled around. He looked at Brook quizzically, and opened the box. "No, way! Thanks, Brook!" six red and white pokeballs sat in the green tissue paper.

Brook shrugged, "I figured you were old enough to start catching your own Pokemon, by now."

Brock stood up, "Okay, who's next?"

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By noon, Max had not only received the six pokeballs, but also a new backpack, a training manual for the new Sinnoh Pokemon, a couple of potions, and a polishing cloth for his glasses. May had received a new head bandana, a Beautifly keychain, a flower headband, and a new set of earrings. Pikachu had gotten a yellow hairbrush and a bottle of ketchup, Brock had gotten a cookbook, _Quick and Healthy Meals for People and Pokemon_, and Ash had received a new box for his badges. Dawn had opened her box to find an embroidered hat, and Brook had gotten a new pair of sandals.

"Ha, it's kinda' ironic to get sandals as a Christmas present…" She slipped on her new flip-flops, and grinned over at Dawn, "Thanks."

Dawn smiled, "You're welcome."

No one noticed the three sets of eyes glaring out through the keyhole of a door.

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"OW! Jessie, you're on my foot!"

"Well, if you would move, I wouldn't have to step on it."

"But I want to see what's going on."

"So do I, so why don't we blow this joint and take Pikachu right now? Dat is the plan, right?"

"Yes, Meowth, that's the plan. But we can't just jump out, snag Pikachu, and run. We're snowed in, remember."

"Yes, and it wouldn't be in the Christmas Spirit, anyways…"

"Oh, so now James is the Christmas expert?"

"No, I-"

"Fine, then, move so Meowth can see!"

At this point, the door had all it could take of Team Rocket pushing up against it.

-Snap!-

The door gave under the weight of the three villains. The trainers sitting in the room jumped up. Ash yelled "Team Rocket!" just to give them the satisfaction of thinking that they had gone undetected. "What are you three doing here?!"

"Chill out, twerp. We _were_ here to steal Pikachu, but now that we're snowed in with you guys, we have no reliable escape route."

Misty sighed, "Well, it is Christmas, so we may as well let you stay. We're all in the same boat, now."

After Misty, May, Dawn, and Max had settled Team Rocket by the fire, Ash looked around. "What are we going to do now?"

"We could tell ghost stories!" May said.

"Or, we could tell _Christmas stories_! We could tell everyone about our favorite Christmas!"

"Sounds great! I'll start!" Dawn clasped her hands in her lap, and began to tell her story.

/ "My mom and I were sitting by our tree. It was my ninth Christmas, and I was really excited. I had noticed a box with my name on it, the night before. It was the kind of box, with the holes in it, that you put Pokemon in. My mom handed it to me, and when I opened it, Piplup jumped out! I was so happy that I finally had a Pokemon. That summer, I set out to be the number one coordinator in Sinnoh. /

"Great story! I guess it's my turn, now!" May looked around at all of her friends, and took a deep breath.

/"This was before I wanted to be a coordinator. All I wanted to do was stay at home. Max wasn't very old, so I was maybe four or five. I had really wanted a bike for Christmas, and I just _knew_ I was going to get it. On Christmas Eve, though, my dad was rushed to the hospital. The doctors said something about a stroke, but I was too young to understand."/ May was almost in tears, as she continued her story. /"The next morning the doctor at the hospital said that dad was going to be fine. I didn't get the bike, but that was the best Christmas ever!"/

"Wait, how come I don't remember that?"

"You were too young. If I was four, you were only one!"

"Oh, right. Hey, Brook, why don't you go next?"

"Fine by me."

/"My favorite Christmas would have to have been three years ago. It was right after my dad was hauled away to prison, (where he belongs!). /

"Uh, Brook, back to the story, please…"

"Oh, sorry. You know how I feel about my dad…"

/"Well, anyways, my mom and I were at home on Christmas Eve. We heard a knock on our door. It turned out that a few of our neighbors had come to sing Christmas carols! We joined in, and soon the whole town was standing in the park, singing. It was so much fun, that it became a tradition! We stood out there every year, until now. I don't think any sane person would stand out in this weather!"/ She laughed. / "Yea, that must have been the best Christmas I've ever had."/

"That's so sweet!" Dawn said, "I wish our town did that!"

"Okay, let's let Team Rocket tell a story."

"James, why don't you go first?"

"Alright, if you insist…"

/"We were taking a rest outside a Pokemon center, (no one would let us in), when an elderly man walked by. He looked right at us, and then walked away quickly. We thought nothing of it, since we _are_ considered villains, and continued to eat our supper. The man came back, and told us to follow him, 'You look like you could use a little company on Christmas Eve.' So we followed him, what else could we do? He led us to a small house near the center of town. Letting us in, he told us to sit around the dining room table. We sat down and he hurried into the kitchen. We whispered to each other, and then Meowth dug around in his bag. We set our gifts on the floor, as the man came walking into the room, holding a tray of food. When he sat down, we presented him with our presents; ten of my best bottle caps, a scarf from Meowth, and some chocolate cupcakes from Jessie. We all ate together and left the next morning. We never saw the man again, but that will always be my favorite Christmas memory…"/

"Wow, I guess it really is 'better to give than to receive'!" Brock said, "I guess I'll go next…"

/"My family and I were at the gym, a few years ago. It was rather warm, so we were training our Pokemon outside. We were battling, when my dad threw a pokeball, but it didn't open. It landed right next to my foot, and when I opened it, there was a note inside. It said something like; 'Look in your bag,' only it was slightly more poetic. When I looked in my backpack, I pulled out a letter. It was from my mother. She said that she was going to be home soon, and by the time I was done reading it, she was pulling into the driveway. It was the best Christmas present ever."/

"_Unless __Temaku were to appear at the door, then I could be no happier!"_

"I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this on Christmas, Brock, but you force our hands…" Misty, Max, and Croagunk drug Brock from the room, tears running down his face.

"I guess Meowth should go next…" Jessie looked over at her comerade.

"Oke-doke, if you insist…"

/"It was my first Christmas wit Jessie and James, here. I was still gettin' used ta eating human-food, and Jame's mother had made us some Christmas cookies. They were so good, they practically melted in your mouth…Ahh, I can still smell them…That was my favorite Christmas."/

"Hey, I think I _do _smell cookies,"

"That's because you do!" Misty, Max, and Brock walked in, each holding a plate of cookies. "Brock whipped up some five-minute-miricle cookies from his new cookbook!"

"Oh, it was nothing…Thank Misty for letting me use her oven."

"Just be glad it's run by a separate generator!"

"Okay, Jessie's turn!"

/"Well, I was sitting in my bed, waiting for the other children to wake up. We had a rule; only open gifts if everyone's awake. Then, I noticed one of the owner of the foster home had entered the room. She looked around and then walked up to my bed. She handed me a package, and then smiled, as I tore open the paper. There, sitting in my lap, was the most beautiful doll I had ever seen. She had black, braided hair, a powdered face, and ruby red lips. It was the best gift I had ever gotten. It was one of the only gifts I'd ever gotten, seeing as I was raised in a small fosterhome with several other children, and I left as soon as poosible to go to school-"/

"I'll go next!" Max adjusted his glasses on his nose.

/"Ahem…I wasup in the middle of the night, because I couldn't sleep. I looked out the window and saw that it was snowing! It was going to be my first white Christmas!-"/

"Hey, that sounds familiar," May said with a grin.

"It should, because _this Christmas_ is my favorite1 I'm with my friends, eating cookies, and it's snowing! What could make it better?"

"Max is right! This has been an awesome Christmas!"

"Yea, who needs electricity, when you have good friends?"

"Amen to that!"

"Hey, is anyone in there?" The friends spun around to see a face at the window. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on, and music began to play softly from the radio, 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas…'

Everyone laughed. "The power's back on!"

"Awww… I was really having fun…"

"That's okay, Max. We can still tell stories."

"Yes! Okay, who's next?"

And so, the ten friends sat around the fireplace, at the Cerulean Gym, sharing stories about Christmases past. Team Rocket didn't even try to steal Pikachu, even though their 'escape route' was wide open. Max was right, this was the best Christmas ever.

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**THE END**

Well, what do you think? Please R&R, and have a very merry Christmas, and happy holidays!


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